good*." There is much error abroad in the world ; and that not only harboured, but propagated also. It will be well, therefore, for us to prove, by some authorized standard,
1. Our own sentiments—
[Every man has some sentiments about religion, though in many cases they are very crude and indistinct. On any other subject, those who have never investigated the science will hold their sentiments with some measure of diffidence and distrust : but, in reference to religion, the most ignorant are often the most confident. The fall of man, the corruption of human nature, the necessity of an atonement, the influences of the Spirit, are not only questioned by many, but are rejected by them as utter " foolishness b;" and man's sufficiency to save himself is maintained, as though it admitted not of any doubt whatever. But, whatever be our sentiments on these heads, and on others connected with them, we should bring them to the unerring standard of God's word. Our inquiry in relation to every thing should be, " What saith the Scrip- ture?" By this must every sentiment be tried : and accord- ing to its agreement with this test must every opinion stand or fall.]
2. The sentiments of others —
[We are particularly cautioned not to " believe every spirit; but to try the spirits, whether they be of Godc." The one standard, to which every thing must be referred, is the word of God : as it is said, " To the law and to the testimony : if men speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in themd." To this our blessed Lord appealed, in confirmation of his word; "Search the Scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life ; and they are they which testify of me e." And St. Paul commends the Berseans, be- cause, when they heard him, they searched the Scriptures daily, to see whether his doctrines agreed with that unerring rule. If, then, our blessed Lord and his Apostles desired to be tried by that standard, I have no hesitation in saying, " Prove all things," whether delivered by the many, or the great, or the learned, or the piozis, or the authorized and commis- sioned: if even an angel from heaven were to come to teach you, I would still give the same advice, and say, As God has given you a perfect standard, it becomes you to refer every thing to it, and to try every thing by it. The Church of Ephesus scrupled not to adopt this plan, in its fullest extent :
a Job xxxiv. 2 — 4. b 1 Cor. i. 23. c 1 John iv. 1.
d Isai. viii. 20. e John v. 39.